Fish oil supplementation from 9 to 18 months of age affects the insulin-like growth factor axis in a sex-specific manner in Danish infants

AbstractSeveral studies have investigated the effects of fish oil (FO) on infant growth, but little is known about the effects of FO and sex on insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), the main regulator of growth in childhood. We explored whether FOv. sunflower oil (SO) supplementation from 9 to 18 months of age affected IGF-1 and its binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and whether the potential effects were sex specific. Danish infants (n115) were randomly allocated to 5 ml/d FO (1·2 g/dn-3 long-chain PUFA (n-3 LCPUFA)) or SO. We measured growth, IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and erythrocyte EPA, a biomarker ofn-3 LCPUFA intake and status, at 9 and 18 months. Erythrocyte EPA increased strongly with FO compared with SO (P&lt;0·001). There were no effects of FO compared with SO on IGF-1 in the total population, but a sex×group interaction (P=0·02). Baseline-adjusted IGF-1 at 18 months was 11·1 µg/l (95 % CI 0·4, 21·8;P=0·04) higher after FO compared with SO supplementation among boys only. The sex×group interaction was borderline significant in the model of IGFBP-3 (P=0·09), with lower IGFBP-3 with FO compared with SO among girls only (P=0·03). The results were supported by sex-specific dose–response associations between changes in erythrocyte EPA and changes in IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 (bothP&lt;0·03). Moreover, IGF-1 was sex specifically associated with BMI and length. In conclusion, FO compared with SO resulted in higher IGF-1 among boys and lower IGFBP-3 among girls. The potential long-term implications for growth and body composition should be investigated further.</jats:p

Identification of urinary biomarkers of food intake for onion by untargeted LC-MS metabolomics

Scope: Biomarkers of food intake (BFIs) are useful tools for objective assessment of food intake and compliance. The aim of this study was to discover and identify urinary BFIs for onion. Methods and results: In a randomized controlled cross-over trial, 6 overweight participants (age 24-62 years) consumed meals with 20 g/d onion powder or no onion for 2 weeks. Untargeted UPLC-qTOF-MS metabolic profiling analysis was performed on urine samples and the profiles were analysed by multilevel-PLSDA, modified PLS, and nearest shrunken centroid to select features associated with onion intake. Eight biomarkers were tentatively identified; six of them originated from S-substituted cysteine derivatives such as isoalliin and propiin, which are considered the most specific for onion intake. Most of the biomarkers were completely excreted within 24 hours and no accumulation was observed during 2 weeks indicating their ability to reflect only recent intake of onions. Receiver-operator curves were made to evaluate the performance of individual biomarkers for predicting onion intake. The area under the curve values for these biomarkers ranged from 0.81 to 1. Conclusion: Promising biomarkers of recent onion intake have been identified in human urine. Further studies with complex diets are needed to validate the robustness of these biomarkers

Ranking Functions for Vector Addition Systems

Vector addition systems are an important model in theoretical computer science and have been used for the analysis of systems in a variety of areas. Termination is a crucial property of vector addition systems and has received considerable interest in the literature. In this paper we give a complete method for the construction of ranking functions for vector addition systems with states. The interest in ranking functions is motivated by the fact that ranking functions provide valuable additional information in case of termination: They provide an explanation for the progress of the vector addition system, which can be reported to the user of a verification tool, and can be used as certificates for termination. Moreover, we show how ranking functions can be used for the computational complexity analysis of vector addition systems (here complexity refers to the number of steps the vector addition system under analysis can take in terms of the given initial vector)

The role of leptin and other hormones related to bone metabolism and appetite regulation as determinants of gain in body fat and fat-free mass in 8-11-year-old children.

BACKGROUND: Regulation of body composition during childhood is complex. Numerous hormones are potentially involved. Leptin has been proposed to restrain weight gain, but results are inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether baseline fasting levels of ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin, insulin, IGF-I, osteocalcin, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were associated with body composition cross sectionally and longitudinally in 633 8-11-year-olds. DESIGN: Data on hormones and body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry from the OPUS School Meal Study were used. We looked at baseline hormones as predictors of baseline fat mass index (FMI) or fat-free mass index (FFMI), and also subsequent changes (3 and 6 months) in FMI or FFMI using models with hormones individually or combined. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, baseline leptin was positively associated with FMI in girls (0.211 kg/m(2) pr. μg/mL; 97.5% confidence interval [CI],0.186-0.236; P < .001) and boys (0.231 kg/m(2) pr. μg/mL; 97.5% CI, 0.200-0.261; P < .001). IGF-I in both sexes and iPTH in boys were positively associated with FMI. An inverse association between adiponectin and FFMI in boys and a positive association between IGF-I and FFMI were found in girls. In longitudinal models, baseline leptin was inversely associated with subsequent changes in FMI (-0.018 kg/m(2) pr. μg/mL; 97.5% CI, -0.034 - -0.002; P = .028) and FFMI (-0.014 kg/m(2) pr. μg/mL; 97.5% CI, -0.024 - -0.003; P = .006) in girls. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional findings support that leptin is produced in proportion to body fat mass, but the longitudinal observations support that leptin inhibits gains in FMI and FFMI in girls, a finding that may reflect preserved leptin sensitivity in this predominantly normal weight population.Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Stine-Mathilde Dalskov, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]. This study was registered inClinicalTrials.gov as trial number NCT01457794. The OPUS study was financed by a Grant from the Nordea Foundation (grant number 02-2010-478 0389). A complete list of food suppliers providing full or partial food sponsorships to the study can be found at the website: http://foodoflife.ku.dk/ opus/wp/skolemadsprojektet/leverandorer. Sources of funding and donation had no role in the trial design; collection, analysis, interpretation of data or decision to publish.This is the accepted manuscript for a paper published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, March 2015, 100(3):1196 –1205, DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-370

n-3 PUFA status in school children is associated with beneficial lipid profile, reduced physical activity and increased blood pressure in boys

Published by Cambridge University Press in the British Journal of Nutrition. Damsgaard, C. T., Stark, K. D., Hjorth, M. F., Biltoft-Jensen, A., Astrup, A., Michaelsen, K. F., & Lauritzen, L. (2013). n-3 PUFA status in school children is associated with beneficial lipid profile, reduced physical activity and increased blood pressure in boys. British Journal of Nutrition, 110(07), 1304–1312. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114513000585. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © The AuthorsDietary n-3 long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) improve dyslipidaemia and hypertension and may affect insulin resistance and adiposity. Increasing numbers of children show signs of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but few studies have investigated the association with n-3 LC-PUFA status. We examined the relationship between fasting whole-blood EPA or DHA (w/w% of the total fatty acids, FA%) and markers of the MetS (anthropometry, blood pressure, plasma lipids and glucose homeostasis) cross-sectionally in seventy-three 8-11-year-old Danish children from the OPUS School Meal Pilot Study (OPUS is an acronym of the project 'Optimal well-being, development and health for Danish children through a healthy New Nordic Diet' and is supported by a grant from the Nordea Foundation). Also, we explored the potential mediating effects of physical activity and energy intake. Girls had higher body fat percentage (BF%), diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, plasma TAG, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance and glycosylated Hb than boys. Sexes did not differ in fish or macronutrient intake or whole-blood fatty acids. After adjustment for sex, age and total whole-blood fatty acid concentration, BF% and HDL: TAG increased with whole-blood EPA (beta > 0.25, P < 0.05), and HDL increased 0.35 (SEM 0.13) mmol/l per FA% EPA increase (beta = 0.30, P = 0.008). Unexpectedly, DHA was positively associated with mean arterial pressure in boys (6.3 (SEM 1.7) mmHg/FA% DHA increase, beta = 0.62, P = 0.001) and reduced physical activity in both sexes (244 (SEM 19) counts/min per FA%, beta = 20.22, P = 0.024). The associations with blood pressure and HDL remained after adjustment for physical activity, BF% and energy intake. The present study confirmed the beneficial association between n-3 LC-PUFA status and lipid profile seen in adults, but showed unexpected relationships with physical activity, BF% and blood pressure. This is the third time we have observed such tendencies in Danish children

Whole-Grain Intake, Reflected by Dietary Records and Biomarkers, Is Inversely Associated with Circulating Insulin and Other Cardiometabolic Markers in 8- to 11-Year-Old Children

Background: Whole-grain consumption seems to be cardioprotective in adults, but evidence in children is limited.Objective: We investigated whether intakes of total whole grain and dietary fiber as well as specific whole grains were associated with fat mass and cardiometabolic risk profile in children.Methods: We collected cross-sectional data on parental education, puberty, diet by 7-d records, and physical activity by accelerometry and measured anthropometry, fat mass index by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and blood pressure in 713 Danish children aged 8-11 y. Fasting blood samples were obtained and analyzed for alkylresorcinols, biomarkers of whole-grain wheat and rye intake, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, insulin, and glucose. Linear mixed models included puberty, parental education, physical activity, and intakes of energy, fruit and vegetables, saturated fat, and n-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids.Results: Median (IQR) whole-grain and dietary fiber intakes were 52 g/d (35-72 g/d) and 17 g/d (14-22 g/d), respectively. Fourteen percent of children were overweight or obese and most had low-risk cardiometabolic profiles. Dietary whole-grain and fiber intakes were not associated with fat mass index but were inversely associated with serum insulin [both P < 0.01; e.g., with 0.68 pmol/L (95% CI: 0.26, 1.10 pmol/L) lower insulin · g whole grain(-1) · MJ(-1)]. Whole-grain oat intake was inversely associated with fat mass index, systolic blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol (all P < 0.05) as well as insulin (P = 0.003), which also tended to be inversely associated with whole-grain rye intake (P = 0.11). Adjustment for fat mass index did not change the associations. The C17-to-C21 alkylresorcinol ratio, reflecting whole-grain rye to wheat intake, was inversely associated with insulin (P < 0.001).Conclusions: Higher whole-grain intake was associated with lower serum insulin independently of fat mass in 8- to 11-y-old Danish children. Whole-grain oat intake was linked to an overall protective cardiometabolic profile, and whole-grain rye intake was marginally associated with lower serum insulin. This supports whole grains as healthy dietary components in childhood. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01577277